Combined cigar lighter and instrument panel lamp for vehicles



Oct. 28, 1941. 1 C, 5M|TH 2,260,588

COMBINED CIGAR LIGHTER AND INSTRUMENT PANEL LAMP FOR VEHICLES Filed Sept. 13, 1940 ser, wlll//r Pianaa oer. za, 1941 2.26am consuman' colia uo Mam' naar. Lam ron-vmware marany Y rango, sans. madman. suman comme u. nassaui .'Ihis invention relates to an accessory which is particularly useiul'inautomotive vehicles and 'comprises a combined cigar or cigarette lighter and illuminatinl device.

More particularly, the invention provides an electrically energized cigar or cigarette lighter of the type conventionally iound on' the instrument panels of motor vehicles wherein the lighter .bodygaiter having been heated, may be removed for use. The present invention' comprehends the incorporation in such lighter of a convenient lamp for illuminating the area adjacent the'instru- .ment panel, wherein 'such lamp is electrically energized in a manner which produces a novel circuit arrangement for selectively energizing either the lighter or the lamp.

With the present trend toward indirect illumination of instrument panels oi' automotive vehicles the various indicating dials oi.' suchpanels are usually adequately illuminated but this trend 20 has resulted in the lack of emanation from such indirectly illuminated :dials oi.' light for locating various control knobs'vand buttons on the instrument panel. For this reason it is highly desirable to rprovide an auxiliary means of direct illumination ior locating the keyhole oi an igni tion switch and various other control knobs and buttons such as the throttle, choke, light switches, for use in reading memoranda, addresses, maps. and for other purposes.

By utilization oi' the device of my invention means may be substituted for conventional lighters, such means embodying a combined lighter and dash light, without altering the-vehicle-connected portion of the lighter installation in any way. That is, the removable portion of a conventional lighter may merely be removed in the usual fashion and the device forming a part of my invention substituted therefor.

In its preferred iorm my invention is further characterized by the tact that its dual function is accomplished without the complexity oi additional switching or circuit controlling means and merely by adjusting the axial position-ot the removable portion oi the device to render either the lighter or the lamp selectively energizable. lor to render both the lighter and the lamp deenergized, iI that condition is desired. y Y

The' ngure in the drawing n. a longitudinal,

horizontal cross-sectional view through a combined lighter'and dash lamp embodying the principles of my invention withthe instrument-panelmounted supporting shelrtheretor.

`In the drawing like characters of reference dea came 4a.

Il of il isarranged to support means for introducing.. a' source otelectrical energy into theinterior and in the rivet connection oi the sleeve il with the end wall ii. The screw iI-extends outwardlybeyond the end-ofthe insulating b il and is provided:n.tliace'ntthe endot the-.latten with a collar ci insulating'materialdesignated 20. Beyond the .collar-1l. the terminal portion oirthe screw is threaded to receive a pairrvof nuts 2l which-engage therebetween an electrical connector Il. e

At its innerV end the screw." is provided with a head portion 24 whichhas an annular groove for receiving and supportinga tai-metallic .device 2l which comprises anumber o! circumierentially spaced varms 26, inthe present instance three, which cooperatewith -the removableportion oi the lighter and lamp unit in a manner which will presently appear. 'The screw i5 and the element 2i are from the shell Il by means of insulating collars 21 and 2l. t q',

'I'he removable portion oi the device comprises a sleeve which connects at its inner end with an annular insulating body 3i by smewthreading or the like. `The end' of the'sleeve' whichis adjacent the insulating. body.- It is provided with an annulanilange which supports one end of a compression coil spring. Il; The opposite end of the spring iseseated in the bottom-oi a cuplike element Il which, with...the spring in an expanded conditiomseats against a ledge on the insulating body 8i -at a point spaced from the adjacent end o! the sleeve-30. Withthe parts note like -parts throughout and the numeral I5 55 in the position shown in the drawing. the cuplike element 34 and tive. l

At its inner end .the insulating body 3| has secured thereto a cup shaped element 35 which is providedwith an outwardly extending annular flange 36 intermediate its ends. The flange 36 serves as an electrical contact member in a manner which will presently appear. The outer end of the member 35 is closedby a wall portion 31 whichl serves to support the cigar or cigarette lighter 'portion 'of the device. This lighter portion comprises an electrical resistance element 40 which in the'illubstrated instance may be spirally wound. The outer end of the spirally wound resistance. element' 4,0 is permanently in electrical contact with an annular rim 4| of a supporting casing 42. the latter being secured to the element 35 by means of a rivet-like member 44. The inner end -of the spirally wound resistance element 40 is in permanent electrical contact with the rivet-like member 44 and the casing member 42 is arranged to be insulated from the member 35 by means of insulating washers 45.

A hollow cylindrical shell 50 of insulating material is xedly disposed 'within the sleeve 30. The shell 50 has disposed axially thereof an electric contact pin which has electric contact with the member 35 as by means of a coil spring 52. The contact pin 5| is normally urged outwardly by a compression coil springv 53 which engages at its opposite ends an end wall of the shell 50 and an annular flange 54 carried by the contact pin 5|, respectively.

The outer end of the sleeve 30 is arranged to support an incandescent lamp 5,5 of the kind conventionally employed in connection with automobile accessories and the details of the separable connection between the lamp 55 and the sleeve need not be described in detail. Electrical energy is conducted to the lamp 55 through the yieldable contact pin 5| and the outer shell of the base of the lamp is grounded to the sleeve 30, as is conventional.

It will be noted that with the removable porthe coil spring 33 are ineffection of the device, which comprises principally the sleeve 30and the insulating body 3|, in the position shown in the drawing, an electric circuit is established through the connector 22, the screw I5, the member with its radiating arms 26, the annular rim 4| of the casing 42, through the length ,of the spiral heating element 40, the rivet-like member 44. the coil spring'52, the contact pin 5|, and thence through the lamp to ground. The cup-like element 34 has spaced around its peripheral walls resilient fingers 60 which yieldably engage the inner peripheral wall of the shell I0 and tend to retain the removable portion of the device in axially adjusted position. With the circuit established as above described the lamp 55 will be illuminated but its resistance is sufficiently high to prevent current flow in the circuit of such a magnitude as to heat the element 40. Obviously, a slight withdrawal of the removable portion of the dev ice will break the circuit by removing the annular rim 4| of the casing 42 from electrical engagement of the arms 26 with the member 25. In such slightly Withdrawn position both the lighter and the lamp are inactive.

When itis desired to use the cigar or cigarette lighter portion of the device, it is moved substantially inwardlyv of the shell I0 from the position shown in the drawing. It is to be understood that the outer rounded ends 63 of the arms 26 occupy a position closer to each other and to the axis of the device than is shown in the drawing when they are unheated and unstressed by the rim 4| 'of the member 42. For this reason further insertion of the movable portion o! the device results in a detent engagement between the roundl ed ends 63 of the arms 26 and the rim 4| of the member 42.

Such further insertion is accomplished against the resistance of the spring 33 because the flared outer end of. the cup shaped member 341s limited in its inward movement by engagement of the flange I2 with the shell I0 and therefore further joint inward movement of the sleeve and the insulating body 3| results in compression of the spring 33. The detent action of the rounded ends 63 ofthe arms 26 is sufficient, however, when in fully inserted position, to overcome the yieldable tendency of the spring 33 to move the assembled sleeve 30 and insulating body 3| outwardly of the device.

, Such inward movement of the movable portion of the device further results in electrical engagement between the annular flange 36 of the member .and a circumferentially spaced series of inward bumps or projections 66 formed in the shell |0 and, therefore, when the device is moved to its full inward position, the lamp 55 is cut out of the energized portion of the circuit. That is,

. the resistance heating element is short-cirkcuited by grounding of the circuit at 36, 66 so that current ilow therethrough is then suflicient to effect heating of the element 40 to' a degree satisfactory for use as a cigar or cigarette lighter.

Such increased current flow also results in heating of the lai-metallic arms 26 and they are portion out to a point where electrical engagement between the arms 26l and the rim 4| is completely broken.

Many modifications of the specific f rm of my invention shown and described by way of illusr tration of its principles may be effected without departing from its scope as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Ina combined cigar lighter and instrument panel light, a receptacle adapted to be secured to an instrument panel, an electrical terminal therein connectible to a source of electrical energy, a plug adapted to be received and housed by said receptacle, said plug being readily removable from said housing and being disposable in a plurality of positions therein, said plug comprising a resistance heating element at its inner end and a lamp at its outer end, said lamp having one terminal grounded and its other terminal connected with an end of said heating. element, the other end of said heating element being movable to and from positions of engagement with said electrical terminal by movement of said plug in said receptacle, a ground terminal in said receptacle, and an electrical contact portion between said lamp and said heating element, said contact portion being movable to and from en- `v gagement with said ground terminal by movement of said plug in said receptacle with said other end of the heating element in engagement with said electrical terminal to render said lighter and said lamp respectively active.

' A3. In a combined cigar lighter and instrument 2. In a combined cigar lighter and instrument panel light, a receptacle adapted to be secured to an instrument panel, a yieldable electrical terminal in the base thereof, a plug adapted to be received and housed by said receptacle, said plug being readily removable from said housing and selectively disposable in fully inserted and partially inserted positions in said receptacle, said plug comprising 'a heating element at its inner end and a lamp at its outer end, said lamp having one terminal grounded and its other terminal connected with an end of said heating element, the other end of said heating element being adapted to engage said yieldable electrical terminal when said plug is inserted in said receptacle to a predetermined degree, said yieldable terminal permitting further movement oi said plug into said receptacle, and a ground terminal engageable between said lamp and said heater upon such further inward movement of said plug to short circuit saidheater around said lamp for heating the former, and means for retaining said plug in selected positions of relative insertion in said receptacle.

panel light, a receptacle adapted to be secured to an instrument panel, an electrical terminal therein, a plug adapted to be received and housed by said receptacle, said plug being readily removable from said housing and selectively disposable in fully inserted and partially inserted positions in said receptacle, said plug comprising a heating element at its inner end and a lamp at its outer end, said lamp having one terminal grounded and its other terminal connected with an end of said heating element, the other end of said heating element being adapted to engage said receptacle terminal when said plug is inserted in said receptacle to and within a predetermined range oi movement of said plug in said receptacle, and a ground terminal enzageable between said lamp and said heater in one portion of said predetermined range of movement to short circuit said heater around said lamp for heating the former. said lamp being illuminated by a circuit including said heater in other portions of said predetermined range of movement.

JAMES C. SMITH. 

